Weather: It appears to me that we are having some of the finest weather of the year right now. Sunny skies, early morning has been in the high 60's to mid 70's and during the day it has been in the mid 80's with just enough of a breeze to keep everything perfect.

Water: Based on the charts I have seen and the captains I have talked to, the water in front of the Cape is maintaining a very steady 73 degrees while the water up to 20 miles offshore on the Pacific side has varied between 74 and 73 degrees. On the Cortez side of the Cape the average has been 74 degrees all the way out to the Cabrilla Seamount. Up past Punta Gorda it cools a degree or so, and on the flight in from Mexico City on Tuesday it looked like victory at sea 3 miles off the beach. When you can see curlers on the ocean from that height you know it is rough! On the Pacific side the water has had a bit of a bump in the mornings, but it has not been uncomfortable.

Bait: There were Pacific Green-backed Mackerel and Caballito at the normal $3 per bait and up in the Palmilla area a few boats were selling small Sardinas for $25 a scoop but tough to find mid week.

FISHING

Billfish: There was no change in the Marlin bite this past week, it is still very slow. We had a couple fish Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday looking for Striped Marlin and they released a shark the first day, a shark and a baby Striped Marlin of around 20-25 pounds the second day, and on Saturday they hooked another small one that came off right away and hooked a decent fish that they fought for about 2 minutes before it threw the hook. They have three more days next week and are optimistic, thank goodness. Most of the fish that have been found have been on the Pacific side fairly close to the beach.

Yellowfin Tuna: Just like last week, here one day and gone the next. The schools have been moving rapidly and not all of the porpoise have had Tuna with them. When the fish have been found they have been footballs or slightly larger. The schools have been found from the San Jaime Banks to 40 miles due south of the arch. Small dark colored feathers and red hootchies have worked when the fish have been found.

Dorado: The water is still cold for Dorado but there are a few caught every day, most of them in the 12 pound class with an occasional larger fish. Most of them have been found around the 95 spot and also close to the beach on the Cortez side.

Wahoo: There was a short flurry of Wahoo action early in the week out at the San Jaime Bank as a school passed through the area. Several boats working the same area received multiple hookups as they passed over the school, but few of the fish were landed as these sharp toothed fish cut the mono-filament leaders easily. The fish that were brought in were in the 30-40 pound class.

Inshore: The action remained good on the inshore fish as anglers got their fill on Sierra, Roosterfish, Grouper and Snapper this week. The Sierra and Roosterfish provided great action close to the beach while the Grouper and Snapper were a steady pick for those anglers choosing to try bottom fishing from pangas.

Notes: I just got back from the island of San Cristobal in the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador on Tuesday after spending three weeks working with some of the finest anglers and Captains in the world. It was a very interesting experience and if any of you have any questions about fishing there, I'd be happy to answer them. Just e-mail me with the subject title of “Galapagos” and I will try to get back to you as soon as possible. We released 50 Striped Marlin in four days from three boats, the average size was 160 pounds with a few over 200 pounds and a couple of Blue Marlin tossed into the mix.